Integration Paper Rubric - Northwestern University



Application Papers

The purpose of the application papers is to relate research findings and theory, either from the text, articles, guest speakers, class discussion, or lecture, to interviews, questionnaires, and/or other data that you have collected. Think of these papers as mini empirical research projects. They will not be considered valid and reliable in terms of their findings, but they will expose you to the process of conducting research, including the non-statistical analysis of data.

Application Paper Rubric

Use a cover sheet; put your name on the lower right corner. Title your paper to indicate the subject – be creative (it’s more interesting). PLEASE number the pages and staple them together. I will not accept unstapled, unnumbered papers. The length should be eight pages MAXIMUM, double-spaced, font twelve, not including appendices. Please do not number your cover sheet as page one. I am very fussy about correct spelling (i.e., I expect you to not only use “spell check,” but to be sure you haven’t erred in using a homonym.) This means you have to do a close final reading and editing. Within your paper, use the headings as noted below.

Part 1 : Introduction: approx. ½ -1 page (12 points)

State the problem you are investigating: your “thesis,” research question, the purpose of the paper.

Part 2: Background: approx. 1 - 2 page/s (20 points)

Summarize relevant material from the text and the other readings as well as from lectures, class discussion, and /or guest speakers. Use at least five resources from class. Include Erikson, Vaillant and C & B-F when relevant. If needed, use no more than two references from outside class readings. Use APA style for citations and reference list (see reverse side and class handout).

Part 3: Research Method: approx. 1/2 - 1 page (12 points)

Describe your sample and how you got it. Include how many in your sample (see below for sample size) and the sex, race, SES (social class), and age distribution, etc. Protect your subjects’ confidentiality: DO NOT EVER GIVE SUBJECTS’ REAL NAMES. Always use pseudonyms. Sample size: if you use media such as films or tv shows, you must have at least three sources; for websites and popular magazine or newspaper articles, you should have at least six sources. If you conduct interviews, you should have a minimum of six in your sample. Surveys should have a minimum of ten respondents. Describe how you got your data: interviews, questionnaires, media analysis, other Include what questions you asked (provide interview protocol as an appendix). Do NOT include raw data.

Part 4: Findings: approx. 1 page (12 points)

State what you found in your research. We know this isn’t a scientifically valid research project since the sample will be too small and not random, but you can report observations and trends. Do NOT try to do any statistical analysis: you just don’t have the sample for it. All research has an ethical obligation to protect the privacy of subjects, so be sure to use pseudonyms!!

Part 5: Discussion: approx. 2-3 page/s (28 points)

This is the heart of your paper. Answer these questions: did your data support the literature? Why or why not? Briefly cite the literature again as needed to weave it together with your findings. Critique your research design. Might your findings have been different if you had a larger sample or collected data using a different methodology?

Note: avoid using words such as “prove,” “fact,” “obvious,” and “correlation.” The social sciences are always adding new knowledge through research so nothing is really “proved” in the way a math theorem might be proved. Also, “correlation” has a specific statistical meaning so avoid using this term in your papers.

Part 6: Summary: approx. 1 page (8 points)

Summarize your findings in light of the limitations of your study. Go back to your original research question: did you answer it? Why or why not? Make recommendations for future research.

Part 7: References Used and General Writing Quality (8 points)

List your references using APA style. If you are not sure what APA style is, please look it up or refer to the handouts from class. APA style is the standard style used in the social sciences and you should know how to use it for proper citation. Check out . There’s a great pdf file you can download (it’s more than you need for this paper but it is a very good reference) or go to and then APA format crib sheet; click on “Reference Citations” and “Reference Formats.”

Writing quality: proofread and edit your paper! Spell check will not catch everything. Critical thinking will be rewarded. However, this is not a creative essay, so follow the rubric which represents the conventions of writing in the social sciences.

Recap of points:

Part 1: Introduction 12 pts.

Part 2: Background 20 pts.

Part 3: Method 12 pts.

Part 4: Findings 12 pts.

Part 5: Discussion 28 pts.

Part 6: Summary 8 pts.

Part 7: Refs & Quality 8 pts.

Total: 100 pts.

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